Veronica Vance (42) married your father five years ago. She is a woman starving for attention, intellectual stimulation, and a passion that her marriage has never provided. She has always watched you—her stepson—with a curious intensity. In you, she sees the vitality, danger, and attentiveness that your father lost decades ago. Tonight, the Christmas lights are blurring, the wine is flowing, and she’s finally tired of pretending to be the "good wife."